Notes of a recent visit to several provincial asylums for the insane in France / by John Webster.

Date:
[1851]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Notes of a recent visit to several provincial asylums for the insane in France / by John Webster. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    At llie period of my visit to Dou Sauveur, the total number of lunatic inmates m the various divisions uraounlcd to 09-2, as stated iu a previous paragraph ; of whom 303 were male, and female patients; but of these, 212 women and 141 men pay for then- board, lodging, aud treatment, sums varying from 400 to 4000 francs annually ; the remaiuing ;i:3!l inmates being all indigent persons. In reference to receiving private patients at this institution, it may be perhaps interesting to readers to mention, that the celebrated Beau Brnmmell died within the walls of Bon Sauveur; the apartment he occupied iu this madhouse being shown me, where that quondam eompamon of George the Fourth was supported, during the last years of his chetiuered life, by the liberality of Mr. Armstrong, the late British consul at Caeu. Notwithstanding the numerous lunatic patients treated at this asylum, the medical staff consists of only two visiting pliysicians. Dr. Vastel taking charge of the male lunatics, and Dr. Faucon Duquesnay of the female department; the arduous duties of which they each perform regularly aud zealously. But as neither of those experienced gentlemen reside at the asylum, both being practitioners of repute in Caen, and there are no internes, it hence follows, when any emergency occurs reqim-ing medical aid, the attending medical officer must be sent for to his private residence. This is a very great defect, aud I said as much to the authorities; but the holy sisterhood did not think it advisable to have pupils living within the walls of their convent, or even to allow a resident physician, although such is the strict law of the country, and as now carried out in most of the insane asylums throughout France. During the year 1849, the movement of insane patients at Bon Sauveur was as follows:— Admitted Males, GO Females, 63 Total, 123. Discharged cured... Males, 42 Females, 30 Total, 72. Died Males, 31 Females, 21 Total, 52. Amongst the above deaths it should, however, be stated, that 18 men and 11 women died last year by cholera, whereby the mortality of the lunatics was considerably augmented beyond the ordinary average; and as similar effects from the recent epidemic will be noticed in the other lunatic institutions referred to iu the present communication, this peculiar feature of the year 1849 must not be overlooked, when drawing conclusions respecting the ratio of deaths met with amongst the insane, in the various establishments 1 visited. Not having been originally constructed for the reception of lunatics, the buOdings are defective in many respects, especially the cells for the agitated patients, which have stone walls, iron bars, and uuglazed windows ; the beds in such localities being frequently wooden cages, into which the afflicted inmate is even locked at night, besides being tied to the bed, or confined by a strait waistcoat. The superior class of patients liavc, however, often excellent accommodation, some in detached houses, with gardens, particularly on the female side ; whilst the gardens generally are beautiful, and kept in excellent order. The sisterhood, and others attached to Bon Sauveur, have only occupied the present residence since 180u, when tliey first received insane men into their establishment; although previously, and even so early as ] 728, they took charge of femak lunatics, but more from charity than gain. However, considering the large number of paying inmates, amounting at present to 3ri3 individuals, the sum now received by the executive must be considerable; and a director of an insane establishment in another part of France, who seemed as well acquainted with Bon Sauveur as he is also with the cost of keeping such institutions, told me distinctly the profit derived from the lunatics at this asylum could not amount to less than 80 or 100,000 francs annually. As in most French public asylums for tlic insane 1 have ever visited, the female lunatics in this hospice appeared much more agitated and noisy than the male patients; at the same time, meclianical restraint seemed oftener employed in tlie former limn the latter sex. Tlius, amongst the 390 insane females iu the various wards ou the day of my visit, 12 were in strait-waistcoats, some being also tied to seats or chairs, and one to a tree iu the garden; besides which, tiu-cc or four were very furious, and shut up in solitary cells, two of whom 1 noticed looking into the court-yard through a small opening nnide in the lower part of their cell door, llic same as we usually find in lOnglisli dog kennolM. This is no exaggeration, as 1 saw them with my own eyes, and also heard the poor sufi'crers howling within, and that even so reeeully as the mouth of August 18,)0! On the other hand, amongst the 302 male lunatics, only three were iu strait-waistcoats, whilst